Providing access to information resources using a digital network protocol

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for providing an automatically upgradeable software application includes targeted advertising based upon demographics and user interaction with the computer. The software application includes a display region used for banner advertising that is downloaded over a network such as the Internet. The software application is accessible from a server via the network and demographic information on the user is acquired by the server and used for determining what advertising will be sent to the user. The software application further targets the advertisements in response to normal user interaction with the computer. A distribution tool is provided for software distribution and upgrading over the network. Also provided is a user profile that is accessible to any computer on the network. Furthermore, multiple users of the same computer can possess Internet web resources and files that are personalized, maintained and organized.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/729,219 filed Mar. 22, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/110,818 filed Apr. 28, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No.7,685,537, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/909,613, filed Aug. 2, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,366,996, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/744,033, filed Apr.11, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,290, as a 371 of PCT/US99/16135, filedJul. 16, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/118,351, filed Jul. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.6,141,010. The contents of these prior applications are herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates in general to user interfaces for accessingcomputer applications and information resources and, in particular, touser interfaces that provide advertising obtained over a global computernetwork such as the Internet. This invention also relates to userinterfaces for maintaining, organizing and communicating informationaccessible to a computer network such as the Internet and, inparticular, to user interfaces that provide the user with availabilityto that information in a personalized manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The continuing expansion of the Internet and other private andsemi-private networks has led to the now widespread practice ofelectronic distribution of software to end users, whether as freeware,shareware, or fully paid-up licensed software. Traditionally, freewareprograms have generally been small, unsupported single-purpose programsthat are of limited use. Since no income was derived from theseprograms, there was little incentive for the creators of this type ofsoftware to undertake major development efforts. More recently, however,a new type of free software has emerged which, while free to end users,does provide income to the creator of the software via advertisingincorporated into the software. This is of benefit both to the end userand advertiser, as the end user obtains useful software at no cost andthe advertiser gets advertising exposure for its products or services.One well known example of this type of arrangement is in push technologyproducts, such as Pointcast™, which permits a user to receive anddisplay broadcasted information over the Internet. Using this software,new advertising is periodically received along with various requestedtypes of news information (e.g., financial, business, sports) and isstored locally on the user's computer for later retrieval and display bythe program.

The new advertising medium provided by the Internet has a number ofsignificant advantages for advertisers. First, the users of the softwarewithin which the advertising is placed have, on average, much moredisposable income to spend on products and services than the averageuser of other traditional advertising media, such as television orprint. Second, the advertising can, in some instances, be targeted invarious ways, such as demographically or reactively. An example of thelatter of these is in push technology where the user requests certaintypes of information and this request is used to select the type ofadvertisement sent to the user along with the requested content. Third,the advertising can not only include audio and video elements as well assimple visual elements, but can also be interactive. For example, byclicking on the advertisement, the user can be provided with additionalinformation about the advertised products or services and can even begiven the opportunity to purchase the products or serviceselectronically.

One of the most common methods of advertising via the Internet isthrough the use of links (e.g., uniform resource locators, known asURLs) embedded within web pages. By using embedded links, theadvertisements need not be located on the same server as the web pagesthemselves. When the web page is loaded or reloaded, the advertisingserver is accessed to obtain a new advertisement which is incorporatedinto the web page displayed on the user's screen. These advertisementsare simple graphical images (such as animated gifs) that are retrievedfrom the advertising server along with an associated link to additionalinformation about the advertised product or service. While this permitsnew advertising to be displayed each time a web page is loaded orrefreshed, and while this allows geographically unlimited advertising,it at most permits targeting of the advertisement based upon the type ofinformation contained in the web page. Moreover, access to a newadvertisement is only available during the period of time that theclient computer is connected to the Internet.

Currently-available computer programs that incorporate advertising intotheir user interface include the necessary programming built into thesoftware itself That is, the various parameters relating to thepresentation of the advertisement is pre-determined and programmed intothe software. These parameters may include such things as where on thescreen the advertisement is displayed, the display size, the duration ofdisplay, the number of times a particular advertisement is displayed,the conditions under which a particular advertisement is to bedisplayed, the type of action taken upon a user clicking on theadvertisement, and so forth. One problem with these currently availableprograms is that these parameters can only be changed by replacement ofthe entire program with an updated, revised version, making it difficultto respond to desired changes in advertising approaches.

To provide demographically-targeted advertising, the advertiser ordistributor of the advertising must obtain demographic data on its endusers. Perhaps the most common way to acquire demographic data regardingusers via the Internet is to request the information using a formwritten in html (HyperText Markup Language) and provided to the userover the World-Wide Web (WWW) using http (HyperText Transfer Protocol).This is sometimes done as a prerequisite to allowing the user access toinformation resources or download software from a particular web site.While authentication of demographic information obtained this way isdifficult and rarely done, it has been found that end users typicallyprovide accurate demographic data in return for free download access tosoftware. Furthermore, studies have shown that while people areconcerned about privacy issues and, in particular, do not wish toprovide specific information that identifies them (such as their name,address, or Social Security number), they generally do not mindproviding demographic information, nor do they mind monitoring of theircomputer usage as long as their usage is not associated with anyspecific information that could be used to identify them.

Various other arrangements have been suggested for obtaining andreporting information about an end user over a computer network such asthe Internet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,521 to Dedrick disclosesan electronic advertising system in which a user profile is created andtransferred to a metering server where it is used along with other enduser profiles to charge advertiser's according to a consumer scale. Theprofile data is also used by the metering server to select advertisementtitles that are sent to the end user for viewing at the request of theend user. When a user requests an advertisement, the metering serversends the advertisement to the end user, charges the advertiser, andprovides the advertiser with profile data on that end user. The systemcan include client-side software which acquires and compiles informationconcerning the user's interaction with the advertising or other contentprovided by the metering server.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,218 to Bland et al. discloses a system for gatheringdata concerning an end-user's access to information resources andreporting the data back to the servers that contain the informationresources. Data gathering at the client is accomplished using an applet,plug-in, or other browser extension that acquires the data and thenreports that data to those servers accessed by the client, eitherperiodically or in response to a specific request by the servers. Inthis way, the servers being accessed for their information resources getreported back to them information concerning the end-user's use of thatinformation. Limited demographic information (e.g., time zone, locale,client hardware) can be included in this reporting as well.

One of the disadvantages of prior art systems that acquire dataregarding an end-user's computer usage is that they are generallylimited to gathering information concerning only certain limited uses ofthe computer. For example, in Bland et al., the focus of the gatheringand use of end-user data is in the user's interaction with web pages,whether over the Internet or otherwise. Similarly, in Dedrick, thecompilation of data is directed to interaction between the end-user andthe advertising or other content provided by the metering server itself.By limiting the reported data in this manner, it is difficult to developaccurate profiles for the individual users that are useful in targetingthe advertising.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,632 to Filepp et al. discloses a reception system inwhich both user demographics and individual system usage information canbe used to target advertising. However, this information is used toselect which advertisements are to be placed into an advertisement queuefrom which advertisements are then accessed, apparently in the order inwhich they were placed in the queue. Thus, this system permits targetingof advertising generally, but does not provide real time targeting ofadvertising based upon user actions.

Internet users typically employ browser applications and relatedtechnologies in order to access the WWW; and to locate and view files,documents and audio/video clips. Exemplary browser applications includeOpera by Opera Software, Netscape Navigator, Netscape Communicator 4.6and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0. Browser applications are loadedonto a user's computer, and then can be used for communication overnetworks using protocols such as that utilized by the WWW. Browsers areuseful for accessing desired files and web sites, and also have thecapability of storing information regarding visited or favorite websites on the user's computer. However, it has been common practice forbrowsers to be employed by the user for fairly limited purposes, such asfor accessing information. Certain applications, such as Windows NT 4.0,allow a user to receive and store electronic information on a limitednetwork system. However, the usefulness and flexibility of such systemsare severely limited, because each browser installation traditionallyhas been independent of other browser installations to which a user hasaccess. Thus, information within one browser is not easily transportableto the other browser.

Except as may be explicitly indicated otherwise, the followingdefinitions shall apply:

browser—A program that can communicate over a network using http oranother protocol and that can display html information and other digitalinformation.

client computer—A computer that is connected to a network (includingcomputers that are connected only occasionally to the network such as,for example, by a modem and telephone line) and that can be used to sendrequests for information to other computers over the network.

computer—An apparatus having a processing device that is capable ofexecuting instructions, including devices such as personal computers,laptop computers, and personal digital assistants, as well as set toptelevision boxes, televisions, radios, portable telephones, and othersuch devices having a processing capability.

computer usage information—Data concerning a person's use of a computer,including such things as what programs they run, what informationresources they access, what time of day or days of the week they use thecomputer, and so forth.

data set—A group of data items; for example, links, keywords, or entriesin an address book.

display object—Data capable of display by a computer, includinggraphical images as well as multimedia presentations or other displaydata that includes audio in addition to visually-perceived data.

file—Any digital item, including information, documents, applications,audio/video components, and the like, that is stored in memory and isaccessible via a file allocation table or other pointing or indexingstructure.

graphical image—Visually-perceived data stored in a graphic format(e.g., jpeg, gif, bmp, tiff, pcx, etc.), includingelectronically-reproduced photographs, graphics, animations, icons, andtextual messages.

information resource—A source of information stored on a server or othercomputer that is accessible to other computers over a network.

keyword—A textual data item used in locating related sources ofinformation.

link—A data item that identifies the location or address of a program orinformation resource. A URL is a link, as is a path and filename of aninformation resource.

network—A system having at least two computers in communicableconnection, including intranets, personal networks, virtual privatenetworks, and global public networks such as the Internet.

non-volatile data storage device—A memory device that retainscomputer-readable data or programming code in the absence ofexternally-supplied power, including such things as a hard disk or afloppy disk, a compact disk read-only memory (CDROM), digital versatiledisk (DVD), magneto-optical disk, and so forth.

profile—User-specific information relating to an individual using acomputer.

program component—A set of instructions stored in a file incomputer-readable format, whether as object code or source code, andwhether written in a compiled language, in byte code (such as Java™), orin a scripting or other interpreted language.

program module—One or more related program components.

program—One or more related program modules.

reactively—In response to some type of user input, such as a mouse clickon a particular user application or on a link to an informationresource.

server—A computer on a network that stores information and that answersrequests for information.

software application—A program and associated libraries and other files;for example, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application,or a personal information management application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is discloseda method of providing demographically-targeted advertising to a computeruser. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing one or moreservers that are accessible via a computer network; (b) permitting acomputer user to access said server(s) via said computer network; (c)acquiring demographic information about the user; (d) providing the userwith download access to computer software that, when run on a computer,displays advertising content and records computer usage informationconcerning the user's utilization of the computer; (e) transferring acopy of said software to the computer; (f) determining a uniqueidentifier associated with the computer, wherein said identifieruniquely identifies information sent over said computer network from thecomputer to at least one of said server(s); (g) associating said uniqueidentifier with demographic information in a database; (h) selectingadvertising content for transfer to the computer in accordance with thedemographic information associated with said unique identifier; (i)transferring said advertising content from at least one of saidserver(s) to the computer for display by said software; (j) acquiringsaid unique identifier and said computer usage information recorded bysaid software via said computer network; and (k) associating saidcomputer usage information with said demographic information using saidunique identifier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention willhereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings,wherein like designations denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is block diagram of a first embodiment of the invention depictinga client software application comprising two program modules located ona computer connected to a server by way of the Internet;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of second embodiment that is a modified formof that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting further details regarding use of theserver shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the inventiondepicting a client software application broken into a number of modulesincluding a builder module responsible for upgrading and addition of anyof the program modules;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view of the graphical user interface (GUI)generated by the client software application of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 5 a-5 c are exemplary views of a bookmark category windowgenerated by the client software application of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is block diagram that provides additional detail regarding theclient software application depicted in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 depicts the structure of the banner database used by the clientsoftware application of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 depicts a method for providing access to the client softwareapplication and for obtaining and utilizing demographic informationregarding users of the software application;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the portion of the client software applicationof FIG. 4 that handles user login as well as acquisition of demographicinformation for new users of the application;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an overview of the core operation ofthe client software application of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of the processing of user input that is carriedout by the client software application of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of the processing of key events that is carriedout by the client software application of FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the process used by the builder module ofFIG. 4 to upgrade different program modules or components used in theclient software application;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a alternative process that can be used by thebuilder module of FIG. 4 to upgrade program modules or components usedin the client software application; and

FIG. 15 is block diagram of an embodiment of the invention depicting aserver that includes several database services program modules and thatis accessible by a client computer via the Internet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown an overview of a clientsoftware application 10 comprising a graphical user interface (GUI)program module 12 and an advertising and data management (ADM) programmodule 14. Working together, these program modules act as a singlesoftware application that provides the computer user with a fullyintegrated interface to the other software applications loaded on theuser's computer 18, as well as to information resources located on aprivate or public network, such as the Internet 20. Client application10 may also include other executables, support files, and libraries thatare used by program modules 12 and 14. In general, GUI module 12contains the basic programming necessary to provide a user interface tothe computer's software applications and operating system (e.g.,Windows98 or WindowsNT), while ADM module 14 provides the basicmanagement of the display and refreshing of advertising as well as theacquisition and reporting of computer usage information to anadvertising and data management (ADM) server 22 via the Internet 20. Aswill be discussed below, client software application 10 provides anorganized interface into the files and other applications on the user'scomputer. That is, the client software application 10 supports anintuitive GUI that can provide access to network bookmarks (i.e., storedURLs), and can initiate execution of local application softwarepackages. In addition, features are provided to deliver advertising(e.g., banner advertising) to users based on demographic and computerusage information or data captured from users (e.g., data supplied byusers during registration, and demographic and usage demographic datacaptured from information obtained based on web site visitation,applications employed, and other usage data); and that targetedadvertising can be displayed to those users during the course of use ofthe computer by those individual users, irrespective of whether thoseusers are connected to a network (i.e., are online) or whether thoseusers are using the computer for a non-network application (i.e., areoffline).

Preferably, the client software application 10 is presented in such amanner that the user need not have any special skill or training inorder to operate that application. That is, the application and theservices provided by the advertising modules associated therewith can beused by persons having no computer skills and may have received limitedtraining in the operation of software, such as that involved in thepresent invention.

Computer 18 is a conventional personal computer, such as one thatutilizes an Intel™ Pentium™ microprocessor. As is common, computer 18includes RAM, a hard disk drive, a floppy drive, a CD-ROM or DVD drive,a mouse or other serial input device, a keyboard (all not shown), aswell as a monitor 26. Computer 18 also includes a network adapter cardthrough which it accesses the Internet. Alternatively, it can include amodem for accessing the Internet via a standard telephone line, cable,or wireless communication path. As will be discussed below, clientsoftware application 10 is initially stored on a computer-readablememory (such as a hard drive) at server 22 and a copy is then downloadedand stored on the hard drive of computer 18 in response to a downloadrequest by the user.

As will be discussed in greater detail below in connection with FIGS. 5and 6, GUI module 12 generates an application window 24 that isdisplayed on the computer monitor 26. This window is separated into anumber of regions, one of which is a banner region 28 for advertisementsor other messages processed by ADM module 14. The advertisementsdisplayed in banner region 28 are display objects such as graphicalimages that are stored on the computer's hard drive or in othernon-volatile memory as a file or multiple files which are collectivelyrepresented in FIG. 1 as banner storage 30. They are accessed as neededby ADM module 14 and displayed in banner region 28. Upon ADM module 14determining that new advertising is needed, it accesses the Internet viaan existing TCP/IP connection 32 and downloads new banners from ADMserver 22. Periodically, computer usage information is sent to ADMserver 22 for use in profiling the end user and better targeting futureadvertising to the end user. This computer usage information is storedon the end user's computer 18 in user data storage 34, which again canbe the computer's hard drive or other non-volatile storage.

By separating out the advertising and end-user data management functionsand providing them as a separate program, these functions can be changedeasily by replacing the ADM module 14 without the necessity ofdownloading and installing an entire new version of the software. Thisupdate capability can be programmed into GUI module 12 (or, possibly,into ADM module 14) so that it periodically checks with server 22 for anupdated ADM module 14 and, if found, downloads the new program andinstalls it as necessary. This can be done automatically without theclient software application requiring any user input, if desired. Inaddition, either program can be disabled (e.g., as determined andcontrolled by the supplier of the programs) in order that a particularuser receives operation of only the management function program or theadvertising function program.

ADM module 14 can be downloaded as object code, in which case it can beexecuted as is and can be started by the GUI program 12 each time thatprogram is run. Optionally, ADM module 14 can be written in byte code,such as Java™, or even in a suitable scripting or interpreted language.If desired, the execution engine needed for these latter types ofprogramming can be provided originally as a part of the total softwareapplication 10. Alternatively, existing execution engines, such as thosefound in Java™ and JavaScript™-enabled browsers, can be used to executeADM module 14 upon call by GUI module 12. Moreover, if written in one ofthese latter programming languages, GUI module 12 or ADM module 14 caninitiate operation of the browser (if not already running) and candirect the browser to ADM server 22 in which case the new version of ADMmodule 14 can be automatically downloaded and run by the browser.

Although ADM module 14 is shown in FIG. 1 as handling storage of thecomputer usage information and banner advertising, as well as display ofthe advertising and reporting of the computer usage information, it willbe appreciated that most of these functions can be handled by GUI module12, with ADM module 14 simply providing the basic logic and rules whichgovern the display and reporting functions. This is shown in FIG. 2. Inthis embodiment, GUI module 36 still reports events to ADM module 38which, as in the system of FIG. 1, determines what action is to betaken. However, it is GUI module 36 that actually does the work,including accessing or storing data in banner storage 30 or user datastorage 34, reporting computer usage information to ADM server 22,accessing new banner advertising from server 22 and, when available,downloading a new ADM module 38. One advantage of this separation offunctions between GUI module 36 and ADM module 38 is that it permits ADMmodule 38 to be written as a streamlined program module that occupies aminimum amount of storage space so that the basic logic governingadvertising processing can be easily and quickly upgraded by downloadinga new ADM module 38.

Referring now to FIG. 3, ADM server 22 is accessible via the Internet byany of a number of remotely located client computers 40 on which clientsoftware application 10 is installed. This can include client computersthat are connected directly to the Internet, as well as computersconnected via private or other types of networks, such as a LAN 42. ADMserver 22 has associated with it an Advertisement Database 44 and aUser/Demographics Database 46. Ad Database 44 stores the banneradvertising that is provided to the client computers 40 both initiallywhen client application 10 is installed and thereafter periodically asthe advertising needs to be replaced. As will be discussed in greaterdetail below, each advertisement is assigned to one of three prioritylevels (general, medium, or high) that are used in reactively targetingthe banner advertisements. These assignments of the advertisements arestored along with the advertisements themselves in Ad Database 44.Periodically, new advertising can be added to Ad Database 44.Preferably, this is accomplished via the Internet with the newadvertising being obtained from one or more Advertising Servers 50,which may be run by an advertising distribution organization or maysimply be computers operated by the individual advertisers themselves.

User Database 46 stores the demographic information used in targetingthe advertising downloaded to the individual client computers 40. Aswill be described below, when a user first accesses client application10 for the purposes of downloading and installing the software,demographic data is obtained on the user and that information is thenused to determine what advertising will be provided to that user. Inaddition, User Database 46 can capture other demographic information,including information regarding web sites visits (e.g., time, date,duration of visitation), including information visits to web sitesrelated to banner advertisements; and can capture information regardingvarious types of network material, such as static sites (e.g., html,http), secure sites (e.g., https) and dynamic sites (e.g., ActiveX orJava). Whenever new advertising is required for a particular user, therelevant information from User Database 46 will be used to determinewhich advertisements should be downloaded to that user's computer. Thus,targeted advertising is provided to the user. That is, advertisingmaterial can be provided to the user can be targeted based ondemographic and other data captured during registration and subsequentuse of the client software application 10. Advertising can be based onuser activities, such as is determined by supplied user information,determination of applications used, recognition of files opened andobservation of URLs visited.

In addition to advertising selection and distribution, ADM server 22also handles the distribution of upgrades to client software application10. In general, the upgrading process involves communication between ADMserver 22 and the client computers 40 to determine what program modulesare installed at the client computer and to compare those modules to thelatest set 48 maintained at ADM server 22. As will be described inconnection with FIGS. 4 and 13, this is preferably accomplished using a“blueprint” that contains an identifier (e.g., filename and versionnumber) of each of the program modules used by client softwareapplication 10. Once it is determined that one or more program modulesneed to be updated, they are accessed at ADM server 22 and downloaded tothe requesting client computer 40 and installed.

Typically, a user has one or two client computers 40 that they primarilyuse to run applications and access the Internet; for example, an officeand/or home computer. However, it is sometimes necessary or desirablefor the user to utilize other client computers 40, whether due totraveling, a breakdown of their primary computer, or some other reason.Regardless of which client computer 40 is used, ADM server 22 provides auser with access to his or her preferences and customized settings forthe various software applications utilized by the user, as well as hisor her other personal data, including email addresses and bookmarks orother links to local and Internet files and information resources. Thisis accomplished using a user profile that is stored in the user database46. The user profile is accessed by client software application 10 usinga unique identifier for the user which, as will be described below, canbe obtained via a login onto software application 10 or via a network oroperating system login on the client computer 40. The user profile cancontain user-specific customized settings for the operating system usedby client computer 40, including the desktop icons and shortcutsutilized by that particular user. It can also contain other operatingsystem customization information including, for example, color schemes,font settings, backgrounds, screen savers, and wall paper settings. Forparticular software applications such as word processing programs,browsers, or spreadsheet programs, the user profile can contain userpreferences for the interfaces provided by those applications, as wellas templates, macros, and other such user-specific resources. The userprofile additionally contains bookmarks, shortcuts, and other such linksto files and information resources accessible via either network 42 orthe Internet 20. Furthermore, the User Database 46 of ADM server 22 caninclude a user library that enables the user to store files (documents,executable programs, email messages, audio clips, video clips, or otherfiles) that can then be accessed from any client computer 40. As will beappreciated, by storing the user profile and user library on server 22,the user can have world-wide access to their preferences, addresses,bookmarks, email, and files without having to physically transport themfrom one place to another.

Once a user profile or files from a user library have been downloaded toa particular client computer 40, they are utilized by the user and, insome cases, changed, whether it be by modification of a template, anaddition of a bookmark, a change to a user interface preference, or someother such modification. These changes are reported back to server 22 bysoftware application 10, either as they occur, or at the end of theuser's session. This allows the user profile and user files located onthe client computer 40 to be synchronized with that stored in userdatabase 46. Also, the user profile and downloaded user files located onclient computer 40 can be erased or ejected from that client computer40, either upon command of the user or automatically at the end of auser session.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown a third embodiment of the clientsoftware application. In this embodiment, the software application canhave the same functionality of the first two embodiments, but isseparated into a number of program modules that interact to provide thisfunctionality. In particular, it includes a GUI module 52 and ADM module54 as in the first two embodiments, but further includes a notes module56, I/O module 58, login module 60, PDA module 62, builder module 64,and auxiliary module 66. Some of these additional modules, such as thenotes module 56, provide added functionality not included in the modulesof the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiments. Other of these modules, such as I/Omodule 58, perform functions that were incorporated into the GUI and/orADM modules of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Before describing the various modules in detail, reference is made toFIG. 5, which depicts a Windows™ version of the user interface providedby GUI module 52. The user interface comprises application window 24separated into a number of regions. The entire row of icons can berotated to different categories of groups of icons (i.e., individualrows can be designed for categories such as business, sports, hobbies,projects, etc.). These regions include a title bar 68, pull-down menu 70(which identifies functions such a edit, view, tools, users, etc.), aset (toolbar) of menu icons 72, a URL text field 74, a toolbarcontaining application icons 76, a banner advertising region 78, and atoolbar containing bookmark category icons 80. While some of theseregions provide unique commands and functions that will be describedbelow, the programming used to generate the display in these regions andto enable interactivity with the items displayed within these regions iswell within the level of skill in the art.

Title bar 68 can display items such as the name of the software productor service, as well as the name of the current user of the applicationmodule or other salutary information. It includes an application button67 which opens a menu when selected. A close, maximize and minimizebutton set 69 is also provided to allow the size of the applicationdisplayed interface to be changed; for example, to temporarily close orbe minimized, or to temporarily suspend the display of banneradvertisements.

Pull-down menu 70 contains the basic commands available to the user,including launching applications, accessing basic editing commands,changing the display of the user interface, adding and removingapplication and bookmark category icons, changing window views, andobtaining help. Other basic commands that can be available for view anduse (but are not shown) include access to a menu that identifies guestusers registered on a particular account, a search button that invokes aweb browser to which the user has access to connect to a web site or asearch engine, and a menu item that allows initiation of procedures foruser registration. This menu item can be labeled, for example, as a“User” menu item; and can be used to allow an initial user to identify,add or delete guest users, as well as to also allow the user torelinquish control of the application (i.e., cancel the service). Theuse of the “User” menu items also allows for efficient and effectivechange in the identity of the currently active use when more than oneuser is using the same computer. Clicking upon a button labeled as a“Search” menu item can invoke a network browser previously installedwithin the computer and hence can connect with a web site of a searchengine. A menu item labeled “Edit” can act on icons to be clicked on bythe user; and such items can include well known commands including undo,redo, add, copy, cut, paste, delete and properties; or those commandscan be selected as depicted as the toolbar of menu icons 72. A menu itemlabeled “View” can provide a sub-list containing a listing of so-calledshortcuts to applications (i.e., files identified by simple name oricon) and hyperlink channel listings; which listings can be added by theuser. A menu item labeled “Tools” can provide a listing of variousparameters and capabilities available to a particular user using aparticular computer. A menu item labeled “Help” invokes acontext-sensitive help facility for the user, provides information aboutthe product, provides information regarding the capabilities of theproduct, and provides pointer-based direction to the user.

Menu icons 72 contain a number of icons that permit quick access to someof the more common commands contained in menu 70. URL field 74 is aconventional drop-down input box that can be used for entering URLs orpath and file names of locally-stored web pages. Once a user has entereda web page location into this field and pressed “Enter,” GUI module 52initiates operation of the user's default browser and directs it toaccess and display the specified web page. Banner advertising region 78is an information display region in which is displayed graphical imagescomprising advertising stored locally on the computer. Theseadvertisements are replaced in response to various events including, inparticular, user interaction with the computer. Application icons 76provide single-click initiation of any programs accessible by the user'scomputer. When client software application 10 is first installed, itinitially builds this toolbar using the shortcuts existing on thecomputer's Windows™ desktop. Thereafter, the user can customize thistoolbar, either by dragging icons onto or off of the toolbar, or via asuitable command available under the “Tools” menu item. The clientsoftware application can be programmed to automatically add or removeicons from this list when they are added or removed from the Windows™desktop. Furthermore, the icons can be automatically organized by theprogram, either in alphabetical order or otherwise. The bookmarkcategory icons 80 are each associated with a set of links related to aparticular category of information, such as finance, news, or sports. Byselecting one of the icons, a separate application window containing therelated links is opened on the screen. This is shown in FIG. 5 a. Thiswindow also includes a vertically-oriented toolbar containing bookmarkcategory icons 80 so that the user can switch to other categories oflinks by clicking on the appropriate icon 80. That is, each bookmarkcategory icon 80 represents a hyperlink channel category that containsrelated hyperlink bookmarks. Moreover, the links or bookmarks need notbe to web sites only, but can be links or shortcuts to documents andother files, whether stored locally on the user's computer or remotelyon a server. Thus, the user is provided with the ability to combineselected documents, applications, web sites, audio files and video filesall under the same channel category. The user has the ability tosubscribe the channel by making a direct link to a file, or by combiningvarious files under some category, or by providing a drop down list to asubscribed channel. In addition, the entire row of icons can be rotatedto different categories of groups of icons (i.e., individual rows can bedesigned for categories of desired topics). For this purpose there canexist two rotate buttons (not shown); one for the row containingbookmark category icons 80 and one for the application row containingapplication icons 76. A click on either of those buttons causes adropdown menu to appear for that respective row, with the name thereofidentifying other rows available to the user. The user simply clicks onthe name within the menu, and the selected shortcut row appears. Inaddition, the menu can contain the terms “disassociate” and “associate.”If the user selects the “associate” option, the user interface canautomatically rotate the appropriate channel row to the exposed positionwhen the corresponding URL is accessed.

The content of these channel categories can be developed by the usersimply by dragging icons representing URLs or files onto the window ofFIG. 5 a or onto the icon 80 representing the desired channel category.Additionally, the channel categories themselves, including their icons80 and associated URLs and files can be provided by others and can berepresented on web sites using an icon or hypertext link. For example, aweb site can include an icon which, when selected provides the softwareclient application with a pre-loaded channel category in the form of afile containing the bookmark icon 80 and associated URLs. This is thenautomatically added to the client software application's user interface.This allows entities, such as corporations or other business entities,to develop pre-loaded channel rows that, when placed onto a web page,can be either clicked or dragged and dropped onto the user interface totransfer the channel category.

FIG. 5 b shows an alternative embodiment of a window as in FIG. 5 a,including icons that represent various files and links to informationresources. The window shown is for a particular hyperlink channelcategory, in this case a business category and would therefore containlinks relevant to business-related files and resources. As shown, thiswindow includes a library icon which, when selected, provides a displayas shown in FIG. 5 c which contains a list of all of the files containedin the user library. From here, the user can access any of the filescontained in his or her user library and can associate any of thosefiles with the business category, in which case a link to that file willthen appear in the business category window of FIG. 5 b.

The program is operable to respond to the user's selection of any one ofthe links by accessing the selected web page using the default browser.As with the application icons 76, bookmark category icons 80 can beadded or removed from the toolbar. Furthermore, additional links can beadded to the categorized sets of links, whether by conventional drag anddrop methods (i.e., dragging onto the bookmark category icons 80) or viamenu commands. In addition, further so-called shortcut rows (e.g.,hyperlink channel rows or application shortcut rows) listing a varietyof icons, and corresponding buttons to expose and minimize those rows,can be provided. Preferably, as shown, one row is provided fororganizing and locating web hyperlink bookmarks, and a separate rowprovides for organization and location of applications. The toolbar alsocan contain further optional features, such as a lockdown bar (notshown) that can be dragged left or right to positions between icons in arow; or a rotate button (not shown) can be clicked on to cause the setof available rows to be displayed. Also, scroll buttons (not shown) orother means for exposing stored icons, can be employed.

To permit user customization, the toolbars containing application icons76 and bookmark category icons 80 include a slidebar 82 that isinitially positioned at the far left of the toolbar, as illustrated, andthat can be moved by the user to a location between any two icons on thetoolbar. Thereafter, icons to the left of the slidebar cannot bere-organized except by express action of the user. These toolbars alsoeach include left and right arrow buttons 84 that shift the icons in theassociated toolbar to the left and right, respectively. These arrowbuttons will not affect any icons located to the left of slidebar 82.Each of the toolbars, including the pull-down menu toolbar, includes acollapse button 86 that serves to toggle the display of its associatedtoolbar. This permits users to collapse the display size of thegraphical user interface and to hide those toolbars that the user doesnot wish to utilize often.

A final region of window 24 is a conventional linked icon 88, which canbe used to direct the user's default browser to the home page of thecompany that provided client software application 10. Linked icon 88 canallow the user to access the user profile or user library, or canprovide a further opportunity to access a particular search engine orlink to a particular web site. For example, this icon can be used tobring up a window which includes a list of the files located in the userlibrary. It can also be used to load the user preferences stored in theuser profile or to, for example, erase or eject the user profile fromthe client computer currently being used. Also, window 24 can includeanother icon (not shown) that, when selected, accesses a local floppy orother non-volatile data storage device to retrieve various types ofdata. For example, a user may want to utilize client application 10 ondifferent computers; for example, a laptop and home or office desktopcomputer. To prevent the user from having to separately customize eachof the two user interfaces, GUI module 52 is operable to store theuser's customization settings and preferences on a floppy disk or othernon-volatile storage. This disk can then be inserted into the othercomputer and, once the client application is executed, clicking on thesame icon will cause the program to access the disk and to retrieve andapply the user's customizations and preferences to the user interface.

In addition to the toolbar containing bookmark category icons 80, window24 can also include a “home” or “local” toolbar (not shown) containingthe same icons 80, but with the links associated with each category icon80 being specific to the user's local and regional interests. Thus, foreach category of information, this permits the user to keep links tolocal web sites separate from their other links. In this way the usercan, for example, keep links related to local high school sportsseparately from links for professional sports. When an icon on this“home” toolbar is selected, a window (not shown) separate from thatshown in FIG. 5 a can be opened or, alternatively, the FIG. 5 a windowitself can be used, with a button or other means being provided to allowthe user to switch between the icons representing the “home” groups oflinks and the icons representing the other groups of links. In addition,the window shown in FIG. 5 a can have additional menu items allowing theuser to perform certain functions or execute commands by click of amouse. For example, the user can create files, move a folder, rename afile, view a title, view a URL, delete a file, perform a search, updatea personal profile, close the application, or perform a variety of othertasks.

Preferably, the client software application of the present invention isautomatically started when the computer is placed in operation (e.g.,when the user logs on). That software can identify the user who has beenidentified as having logged on. The application then places itself in aposition on the computer's video screen that has been defined by theuser (e.g., by drag and click techniques); or the application placesitself in a default position (e.g., such as the top right region of thescreen, but leaving space to leave exposed function icons, such as thewell-known close, maximize/restore and minimize buttons). In a closedposition, the system preferably presents itself in a manner that takesup about 3 to about 15 percent, more preferably about 5 to about 10percent, of the area of the screen; and preferably presents advertisingbanners. However, the user can place a mouse cursor over the banneradvertisement, or use other means to cause the opening of the system, inorder to provide the system in an open format of the type shown in FIG.5. Alternatively, the user can place a mouse cursor over the banneradvertisement possessing a network hyperlink or URL associated with itin order to cause the cursor to change into the shape of a hand, andclicking of the mouse button by the user can be used to cause thedefault browser of the computer to be invoked, following which theresource addressed by the URL is loaded. Thus, the web site of anadvertiser can be automatically accessed when the user clicks on theadvertiser's banner advertisement. That is, for a computer with networkaccess, clicking of a cursor using a mouse upon an advertisementaccesses a remotely located client computer 40, resulting in a link tothat web site.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, the details of the various programcomponents and modules that comprise client software application 10 willnow be described. As discussed above, GUI module 52 provides theprogramming used to display application window 24 including all of itsvarious regions on a computer monitor or display 26. It accesses usercustomizations and preferences from user data storage 34 via I/O module58 and interfaces with the other program modules. The user interfaceprovided by GUI module 52 is implemented using a number of programcomponents written in ActiveX™, Java™, or any other suitable programminglanguage. These components include a toolbar component 90, a URL textfield component 92, a drag button component 94, a drag and directcomponent 96, a collapsible menu component 98, a collapsible toolbarcomponent 100, a user profile access component 102, and an advertisingbanner component 104.

Toolbar component 90 contains the programming code used to display andmanage the applications icons toolbar 76 and the bookmarks categoriestoolbar 80. This includes the programming that generates the slidebars82 and left/right buttons 84. This component interfaces with drag buttoncomponent 94 which contains the programming that generates the varioustoolbar buttons that are represented by the different icons 76 and 80.Toolbar component 90 also interfaces with drag and direct component 96which allows the user to customize the toolbars by shifting the iconbuttons left or right on the toolbars, as well as drag and dropcapabilities to add buttons to or remove buttons from the toolbars. URLfield component 92 provides the URL text field 74 that permits directuser input of URL's. Collapsible menu component 98 contains theprogramming that generates and provides functionality to the pull-downmenu 70. Similarly, collapsible toolbar component 100 is used togenerate the toolbar containing the menu icons 72. Components 98 and 100can be derived from the main toolbar component 90 and can function likeany other toolbar, except that they are collapsible. User profile accesscomponent 102 contains the programming used to access the computer'sfloppy disk drive (as well as any other source) to read or write theuser's customizations and preferences of the user interface. Thus, forexample, information can be read from the type of device described inPCT International Publication No. WO99/19873, published Apr. 22, 1999.In addition, user profile access component 102 contains the programmingby which software application 10 can access, use, manage, and change theuser profile that resides on server 22. It also contains the programmingthat permits the user profile to be ejected or erased from the user'scomputer and synchronized with that stored on server 22. Bannercomponent 104 contains the programming used to access and display anadvertising banner specified by ADM module 54. In addition to the dragand drop capabilities discussed above, GUI module 52 can also includethe programming necessary to permit dragging of links onto categoryicons to add them to the associated set of links, as well as dragging ofdata files (e.g., documents) onto the application icons to initiateexecution of the selected application using the selected data file.

ADM module 54 includes a key event component 108, a timer/displaycomponent 110, a flag alert component 112, and an error handlingcomponent 114. These components are preferably written in ActiveX™ orJava™. User interaction with the computer, whether with the clientsoftware application itself or with other applications or the operatingsystem, is monitored by GUI module 52 and reported to key eventcomponent 108. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, thedetection of user input to other programs and to the operating systemitself can be implemented under Windows™ using system hooks. Key eventcomponent 108 determines whether the user interaction constitutes a keyevent; that is, whether a change in displayed banners should be made inresponse to the user input. If so, it informs timer/display component110 which contains the programming that determines which banner shouldbe displayed and what computer usage information should be stored forlater reporting to ADM server 22. This component also includes a timerthat periodically changes the advertisement displayed in banner region78 in the absence of any user input. The selection of banners will befurther described below in connection with FIG. 7.

Once a group of banners have been displayed their allotted number oftimes, timer/display component 110 notifies flag alert component 112,which sets a new banner flag. This flag is checked periodically and ifset, ADM server 22 is accessed to download new banner advertising. Ifdesired, flag alert component 112 can also maintain other flags for useby the system to record the state of various events. For example, it caninclude a flag that indicates whether the current execution of clientsoftware application 10 is the first execution following installation ofthe software. If so, a special introductory screen could be displayed.Other such uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Errorhandling and messaging component 114 is used to handle error conditionssuch as, for example, where a user has uninstalled a softwareapplication off the computer, but attempts to execute the uninstalledapplication from an application icon 76 still residing on theapplications toolbar. This component can intercept the error messagegenerated by the operating system and take appropriate action such as,for example, informing the user that the application cannot be locatedand asking whether the user wishes the application icon to be removedfrom the toolbar. Advertising material in the form of banners can bedisplayed based on demographic and usage data obtained from the user,and those banners can be displayed periodically during the course of theuser's use of the computer. Advertising is provided to the user whilethe user is on-line, and advertising also is downloaded to the user'scomputer and stored for later use Thus, advertising can be displayed tothe user irrespective of whether the user is on-line or off-line.

As mentioned above, client software application 10 monitors the user'sinteraction with applications other than itself using system hooks. Aswill be appreciated, this permits the client software application toalter the normal response seen by the user to certain types ofinteractions with the computer. For example, GUI module 52 preferablymonitors user action and, upon detecting that the user has initiatedexecution of a browser application, whether via an application icon 76or directly via the computer's operating system itself, GUI module 52can override the browser's default home page setting and redirect it toanother web site. Preferably, the user is queried via a pop-up dialogbox prior to redirection to ascertain whether he or she objects tostarting the browser at some web site other than the default home page.This can be used as an additional means of exposing the user toadvertising while providing the user with some variety in the use oftheir browser, since they are not limited to always seeing the same siteupon startup of the browser. Other such uses of this feature will beapparent to those skilled in the art.

Notes module 56 provides messaging capabilities not only for personaluse by the user, but also for use among different users. From the user'sstandpoint, the notes themselves comprise small pop-up windowscontaining short messages or reminders. These notes can be associatedwith certain events. For example, the user could set up a personal notethat pops up at the end of the day when the user goes to exit theapplication. Alternatively, one user could send another user a noterelated to sports and could set that note to only pop-up when thereceiver either accesses the sports bookmark category icon 80 oraccesses a sports-related web site. The notes functions (e.g., creatinga new note, sending a note, etc.) can be accessed via Tools under thepull-down menu 70. Notes sent between different users connected to theInternet is by way of ADM server 22, which acts as a messaging server,identifying individual users (whether senders or receivers) by way oftheir unique ID and handling the receipt and distribution of the notes.

Notes module 56 includes a display component 116, a logic component 118,a registration component 120, and a send/receive component 122, all ofwhich can be written in ActiveX™ or Java™. The notes display component116 contains the programming responsible for the actual display of thepop-up notes on the monitor. The notes logic component 118 isresponsible for the logical processing of the notes; for example,determining when or under what conditions a note will be displayed.Registration component 120 handles registration of the client softwareapplication with the messaging server process provided by ADM server 22.The send/receive component interfaces with I/O module 58 and isresponsible for the actual transmission and reception of notes over theInternet.

I/O Module 58 is used as the interface between the various programmodules and banner storage 30, user data storage 34, the Internet 20,and, if connected, a printer (not shown). It includes a reporting andprinting component 124, a streams component 126, and a file I/Ocomponent 128. These components can all be written in ActiveX™ or Java™.Reporting and printing component 124 contains the programming code usedto properly format and direct data to its proper output device (e.g., aprinter, log file, etc.). The streams component 126 is used to managethe input and output functions which establish and provide datatransmissions between components and objects. It is this component thatis used to access the Internet via TCP/IP and can be used with othercommunications protocols, such as RMI and COM. The file I/O component128 is used to manipulate stored files, including those used in thebanner data storage 30 and user data storage 34.

Login module 60 (FIG. 4) comprises an ActiveX™ or Java™ login componentwhich includes the programming that provides the user login and passwordvalidation features. If desired, this module can also include a securitycomponent that provides encryption of data transmitted over theInternet. PDA module 62 is an ActiveX™ or Java™ component that can beused to handle importing and exporting of user data between the clientsoftware application and the formats needed for use with a personaldigital assistant. Also, this module can be used for interfacing theclient software application with the user's current personal informationmanagement software, such as Outlook™, Lotus Notes™, or Netscape™ mail.The security module can also include an import/export wizard for use bythe user in converting between formats.

Builder module 64 interfaces with all of the other modules and containsthe programming used to upgrade individual components of the softwareapplication from time to time. As with most of the other modules, it canbe written in ActiveX™ or Java™. For purposes of upgrading components,each component has associated with it a version identifier thatcomprises a version name and version number, with the version namesimply being the filename of the component or module. Builder module 64is operable to determine the version name and number for each of thecomponents currently installed on the client computer and to generatefrom that a current blueprint of the components. Then, the next time anInternet connection is available, the builder component can access ADMserver 22 and download from it an upgraded blueprint. The builder modulethen compares these blueprints to determine whether the client softwareapplication installed on the computer is the most current versionavailable. If not, the builder, having both blueprints, can determinespecifically which new components it needs. Upgrading of existingcomponents is typically accomplished simply by overwriting the existingfiles and making the appropriate entries into the Windows™ Registry. Atthe server side, adding new components to the application simplyrequires creating the new component and upgrading the existingcomponents to work with the new component, followed by adding the newand revised components to the upgraded blueprint. Then, the next timethe server is access by the builder module, it will download the new andrevised components.

This upgrading process is implemented automatically by the clientsoftware application without requiring any user input or initiation ofthe process. Also, by modularizing the application in the mannerdescribed above, bug fixes and upgrading of features can be achievedwithout requiring downloading and installation of the entire softwareapplication. This is especially useful for distribution of software viathe Internet, since software applications typically require anywherefrom several Megabytes to tens of Megabytes of disk space and thedownloading of such large files can be burdensome.

Rather than using builder module 64 to compare version identifiers atclient computer 40, builder module 64 can be used to report the versionidentifiers of the current installation of client software application10 back to server 22, with server 22 then being used to compare theversion identifiers (i.e., the blueprint) with the version identifiersof the most current version available. Then, if one or more programmodules needs to be updated, server 22 can then initiate transmission ofthose modules to client computer 40 for installation by builder module64.

It may be desirable or necessary from time to time to upgrade thebuilder module 64 itself so that it can evolve and provide new featuresnot currently anticipated. For this purpose, auxiliary module 66 isprovided. Upon builder module 64 determining from the blueprints that itneeds to be upgraded itself, it turns over control to auxiliary module66 and then terminates its execution so that it may be overwritten withthe new builder module. Auxiliary module 66 then handles downloading andinstallation of the new builder module and other components. Buildermodule 64 can also contain a diagnostic module that is used to provide adiagnostic evaluation of either client software application 10 or someother software application having version identifiers that arerecognized by builder module 64. Preferably, this diagnostic capabilityis implemented as follows. Upon execution of a software applicationusing an icon 76, client software application 10 monitors the executionof the software application and, upon determining that the softwareapplication is not executing normally, utilizes builder module 64 toperform a diagnostic evaluation of the software application which caninclude, for example, checking for corrupted application files (usingchecksum or other such information), checking for the existence of allnecessary files in the proper directories, and checking to determinethat all of the program modules of the software application underevaluation have the proper version numbers for the current blueprint ofthe software application. Once the problem has been determined, an errormessage can be generated for the user. Also, client software application10 can access server 22 to retrieve the program modules necessary tocorrect the problem. Thereafter, these program modules can be installedusing builder module 64 to bring the software application back to aproper operating state.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, builder module 64 orany of the other modules can have their own set of module commands whichthey use to perform particular functions. These module commands can beused by other modules to access or implement functions provided by thatmodule. Additional module commands and, thus, additional functionality,can be added simply by creating upgraded modules that include the newmodule commands and using builder module 64 to upgrade to the newmodules in accordance with the procedures described herein.

In addition, the server can contain, or have access to, software filesthat have been prepared by third party software developers fordistribution. Such files can be downloaded upon request by a particularuser. This third party software can be written in, for example, Java™ sothat it uses the execution engine (e.g., a Java Virtual Machine)provided as a part of software application 10. Thus, in a like mannerthat has been described, third party software developers/distributorsare provided with a distribution tool to distribute, upgrade, serviceand maintain their software. Furthermore, because each individual's userprofile is maintained on a network server, that individual's customizedsettings for the software application can be the same, irrespective ofthe computer that the user employs on that network. That is, the user'spreferences and custom settings for the operating system andapplications can be maintained, even though the same user may operatedifferent installations of the software on different computers.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the details of the selection and use of banneradvertising will now be described. In general, banners are displayedeither in response to some user action (input) or, in the absence ofuser input, are displayed periodically at timed intervals. The clientsoftware application monitors the user's inputs to the computer and,when possible, targets the banner advertising displayed so that itrelates to the what the user is doing or has an interest in, asevidenced by activities associated with the user's use of the computer.

Preferably, the banner advertisements are stored as graphical images onthe client computer's hard drive and are replaced once they have beendisplayed a certain number of times. As mentioned above, this isaccomplished by downloading new banner advertisements from ADM server22. To avoid running out of banners before new ones can be downloadedfrom ADM server 22, client software application 10 maintains a pluralityof sets of locally stored banners and, at any one time, only displaysbanners contained in one of the sets. Then, when the banners in that sethave all been displayed the allotted number of times, the next set ofbanners is used with the old set being replaced the next time thatserver 22 is accessed.

A banner database 130 is stored on the client computer's hard drivealong with the image files themselves. This database containsinformation that is used by timer/display component 110 to determinewhen the banner should be displayed. In the representation of bannerdatabase 130 shown in FIG. 7, each row is a data set that is associatedwith a different one of the banners. The columns represent individualdata items within each data set. The data for each banner includes thefilename of the image file, a destination link, one or more associatedcategory identifiers, one or more associated trigger links, one or moreassociated programs, and a priority level. The destination link is(typically) the URL of the web site to which the default browser will bedirected if the user clicks on the banner while it is displayed. Thecategory identifiers specify those categories to which the bannerrelates and can correspond exactly to the categories used in connectionwith the bookmark category icons 80 discussed above in connection withFIG. 5. For example, an advertisement for a securities brokerage wouldbe related to finance and possibly business. By associating thosecategory identifiers with the banner in database 130, ADM module 54 willbe able to determine the proper time for display of the brokerageadvertisement. The associated trigger links specify locations for whichthe associated banner should be displayed when one of the specifiedsites are accessed. In the first example given in FIG. 7, if the userwere to direct his or her browser to www.lotus.com/123, ADM module 54would display the banner01.gif image. Where multiple banners areassociated with the same link, ADM module 54 determines which of thebanners should be selected based upon another criteria such as number oftimes each banner has previously been displayed. The associated programscolumn is similar in that execution of one of the specified applications(rather than a visit to a web site) will result in an associated bannerbeing displayed. Finally, the priority level is used to determine thespecificity of the targeting of the advertisements.

More specifically, ADM module 54 is programmed to select and displaybanners at any one of three different levels of processing. The first isthe general level, which is the default priority level at which theprocessing is set when the client software application is firstexecuted. In this mode, only banners having a general priority levelwill be displayed. The second level is the medium processing level, inwhich both medium and general banners are displayed, but at a weightingthat favors the medium banners. Preferably, when operating in this mode,only one general priority level banner is displayed for every threemedium level banners. Similarly, the third level is the high level atwhich high, medium, and general banners are displayed, with ten highpriority level banners being displayed for every three medium levelbanners and for every one general level banners. The processing level atany one time is determined by the user's actions. In particular, whenthe user begins execution of an application or selects one of thebookmark category icons 80, the processing level is set to medium sothat no high level banners will be used for display. When the userselects a link, the processing level changes to high at which point allbanners are candidates for display, with the high priority level bannersbeing given favoritism in the 10-3-1 ratio mentioned above. This ratiocan be adjustable by ADM module 54, if desired.

It will be appreciated that other data items for the banners can beincluded in database 130. For example, each banner can have associatedwith it a maximum number of permitted displays, with this number beingdecremented each time that the banner is displayed. This allowsdifferent advertisements differing amounts of exposure. Similarly, eachbanner can have associated with it a weighting or frequency that is usedby ADM module 54 to determine how often the banner should be displayedrelative to other banners at the same priority level. A “display first”property can also be provided for any particular banner that indicatesthat it should be displayed before others at its same priority level,with timer/display component 110 providing the programming needed toinsure that only one such banner at each priority level has thisproperty set. Apart from the category identifiers, each banner can alsohave a number of keywords associated with it and ADM module 54 can beprogrammed to examine the web pages visited by the user to determine ifany of those keywords are present, whether they be located in the webpage as META TAGs or simply contained in the text of the page. If so,one of the banners associated with the located keyword could bedisplayed.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, client softwareapplication 10, acting in conjunction with ADM server 22, provides atwo-tiered approach to targeted advertising. The first tier is theinitial selection of banners to be downloaded to the user based upon theuser's demographic information. The second tier is the reactivetargeting of the advertisements based upon user interaction with thecomputer. Moreover, since client software application 10 communicateswith server 22 from time to time and can report back computer usageinformation as well as information concerning the display of thebanners, this information can be associated with the user's demographicinformation (by way of their unique ID) at the server and then used bythe advertisers to help them better understand the consuming public.Thus, the present invention concerns a manner or method in which anadvertiser can be provided with real time information regarding a user,reactions of groups of users, reaction to the effectiveness of aparticular advertisement or message, and the like.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the reactivetargeting provided by client software application 10 is handled in realtime, rather than simply as a part of building a set of advertisementsfor later display to the user. This permits the display of advertisingthat is relevant to what the user is doing at any particular time. Thus,if the user is using the computer to search for information on stocks,then client software application 10 can detect this (whether byrecognizing the web site being accessed, the keywords used in the webpages being accessed, the program being executed, or some other aspectof the user's search) and can display an advertisement that is relevantto this topic, whether it be for a stock brokerage, a stock exchange, aninvestment group, or some other organization. Furthermore, for usercomputers that enjoy a full time connection to the Internet, thereactive targeting can be used to access a specific advertisement overthe Internet, rather than from a pre-stored banner from banner storage30. This can be accomplished by replacing the local image filenames inthe first column of banner database 130 with an Internet address of aspecific image file. Alternatively, the user's actions that are used toselect an advertisement via banner database 130 can be sent to ADMserver 22 or some other advertising server as posted form data, with theserver using the data to select and download an appropriateadvertisement. This permits real time targeting of advertising whileexpanding the available pool of advertisements without having topreviously download the complete set of advertisements to the user'scomputer.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the process for providing access to the clientsoftware application and for obtaining and utilizing demographicinformation regarding the user will now be described. As will beappreciated, the software download and data gathering process of FIG. 8can be implemented by a suitable server program residing on ADM server22. As indicated at blocks 132 and 134, in response to server 22receiving a download request from a user, the server sends a form to theuser and then waits for the completed form to be posted back to theserver. The form can include a number of required fields that providethe minimum data needed to generate a proper demographic profile of theuser. Exemplary user information includes age, sex, region of residence,education level, occupation, interests and hobbies, recent majorpurchases, income level, and the like. Other information that can beprovided includes identity of computer network service, electronic mailservice, computer and monitor type, computer operating system, browserapplication, and the like. Personal information, that is used foraccounting and user identity purposes for future usage, but mostpreferably not for targeted banner advertising purpose, include name,address, user name and password of the user. Other information regardingthe user includes whether the user is an initial user or a guest user.Other personal information, such as credit card information also can beprovided. However, such information can be maintained within a securelocation within the server, and not used in other network transactions,such as over the Internet. For example, credit card information can bemaintained in a secure location within a user's personal profile;commercial transactions initiated by the user can be transacted byultimate transfer of the credit card information between computers in asecure manner (e.g., between the server and a computer authorized toconduct, in a secure manner, collection for credit card basedtransactions).

Once server 22 has received the completed form, a check is made todetermine whether all of the required fields have been completed, asindicated at block 136. This check can include a certain amount ofvalidity checking of the data. For example, if the user is required tospecify the city and state in which they live, a check could be made todetermine whether the city and state reported by the user actuallyexists. Similarly, a reported area code could be checked to determineits validity. If required information is missing or invalid, flow movesto block 138 where the server resends the form with a request forcorrection. As is known, this can include an identification of theparticular required data that was missing or invalid. Once server 22receives a correctly completed form, flow moves to block 140 whereserver 22 assigns a unique ID to the user and then stores that ID alongwith the received demographic data, as indicated at block 142. Asdiscussed above in connection with FIG. 3, this data is stored in theuser/demographics data base 46. Then, an initial set of banneradvertisements and links are selected based upon the user's zip code,indicated at block 144. The links are used to provide an initial set oflinks for each of the bookmark categories represented by icons 80.Thereafter, client software application 10 is downloaded to the user'scomputer for installation by the user, as indicated at block 146.Preferably, the client software application is packaged as a single,self-extracting ZIP file and includes an installation program thathandles installation of the program and all of its components intoproper directories, as well as making the necessary entries into theWindows™ Registry.

The client software application is provided as an installation file fora computer, and can be transferred to the user's computer from a website. The installation file typically is provided as an executable file,and the file will execute an installation procedure, such as thatproduced by the InstallShield™ product. Preferably, the installationprocedure allows installation of the components of the application inthe appropriate directory structures, and allows the user to specify theroot directory for those directory structures of the application. It canbe necessary for prompting the user for configuration parameters neededfor installation. Execution of the installation file results in a copyof the client software application being appropriately installed on thecomputer, along with appropriate operating system shortcuts and otherobjects allowing a user to access the installed application. Theapplication preferably comprises default bookmarks, which are suppliedby the server, but which may be altered by the user. The servertypically has no initial information regarding the user; however, uponfirst attempt at installation, the application attempts to establish anetwork (e.g., Internet) connection to the server. The applicationdeclares itself a new installation of a client software application, andthe server provides an identifier for subsequent identifications betweenthe application and the server. User identification provides individualusers with the ability to receive advertising banners that arespecifically targeted to a specific user from among multiple users thatmay be registered at a particular computer or through a client softwareapplication; as well as the ability to ensure that the set ofapplications shortcuts, web hyperlink channels, and the organization ofresources set up by an individual user are reproduced when that specificuser's accesses the client software application.

The first time a user logs onto client software application 10, whetheras part of a new installation of the software or using an existinginstallation, the user profile is set up and is initially loadedautomatically with preference data and customized settings obtained fromthe operating system and other software installed on the computer. Also,the user's existing address books residing in other applications areaccessed and the contents copied to the user profile using a suitableimport utility. Templates, macros, and other such custom files can alsobe copied to the user profile at this time.

The user profile associated with each user can be accessed fromdifferent installations, irrespective of the computer or operatingsystem that the user employs. In effect, the information regarding theuser, including the user profile is transportable, and as such, someattributes that are properties or files of the client softwareapplication and some attributes that are properties of the particularuser installation are accessible to the user anywhere on the network.For example, for a user profile that includes user identification data,user hyperlink bookmarks, user hyperlink categories, and userapplication shortcuts, those components of the profile are accessiblefrom server 22, including resource names, icons, and the like. Inaddition to the ability to distribute and upgrade software, the presentinvention possesses the ability to incorporate key components into theuser's profile. When the user receives his or her profile, thesecomponents work in conjunction, with software residing outside of thesoftware of the present invention. Theses components allow the softwarethe ability to customize previous settings that the user has establishedfor that software.

The user ID that is stored along with the demographic data is used toanonymously identify the user for the purpose of demographicallytargeting advertising to that user. This can be accomplished byassigning the user ID to the particular copy of the client softwareapplication downloaded by the user. Alternatively, the user ID can beincluded in a cookie placed by server 22 on the user's computer 18 andthis cookie can be accessed by server 22 each time computer usageinformation is sent to server 22 so that the ID can be associated withthe computer usage information. In the illustrated embodiment, the userID is associated with a user login that is required each time the clientsoftware application is executed. By having the user login to theapplication, it can identify which demographics are associated with thisparticular user. Also, the provision of a user login allows the clientsoftware application to be utilized by multiple users, while permittingdifferent demographically targeted advertising to be displayed for eachuser. This will now be described in connection with FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 9, upon execution of the client software application10, a login and password input box is displayed. This is shown at block148. Once the user has entered a login name, a check is made at block150 to determine whether the user name is new. If not, a check is madeat block 152 to determine whether the password provided for therecognized login name is correct. If not, flow returns to block 148where the login box is again displayed. If the password is correct, flowmoves to block 154 where the application accesses the user's set ofpreferences and customizations for the display of the graphical userinterface. The application also accesses the banner database and variousbookmark categories for that user which, as described above, containsfor each category of information a number of links to differentinformation resources. Flow then moves to block 156 where the graphicaluser interface is displayed along with a first banner. The login namesand associated passwords can be stored in the user data storage 34.Similarly, the user preferences, categorized lists of bookmarks, andbanner database can be stored in user data storage 34. Optionally, thelogin and password are used to provide an identification of the user tothe server 22 so that the user profile and user library may be accessedand incorporated into the graphical user interface provided by theclient software application.

If, back at block 150, the login name is determined to be new, the usercan be queried as to whether they would like to set up a new account, asindicated at block 158. If not, then flow returns to block 148 where thelogin screen is again displayed. If a new account is desired, flow movesto block 160 where the application requests various demographic data,which can be the same data requested of the user who originallydownloaded the application from server 22. At block 162 a check is madeto determine whether all required demographic data was provided. If not,flow returns to block 160 to again request the required data. Once allrequired information has been provided, flow moves to block 164 wherethe application reports demographic data back to server 22, receives anassigned ID from the server, and stores the new user data at the clientcomputer in user data storage 34. Flow then moves to block 166 wheredefault preferences and bookmark lists are accessed and assigned to thenew user. Flow then moves to block 156 where the graphical userinterface is displayed, at which point the user can begin normal use ofthe application.

If desired, all user-specific information, including logins, password,demographic data, assigned ID, preferences, banner database, andbookmark lists can be stored together as a separate file and treated asa separate user object. This file can be both stored locally on clientcomputer 40 and reported back to server 22. Moreover, this single filecan then be used to transfer the user specific data between differentcomputers upon which the application resides. By storing the demographicdata at the client itself, demographic targeting of advertising can beaccomplished if desired by client software application 10 itself.Furthermore, in situations in which the computer operating systemrequests a login as a part of boot-up of the computer, or in networkedenvironments where a login at the computer is required for networkaccess, client software application 10 can use the identification of theuser provided by these logins rather than requiring a separate loginupon execution of the application itself. This allows the clientsoftware application to determine who is using the computer withouthaving to request a separate user login.

Turning now to FIG. 10, there is shown an overview of the core operationof client software application 10. The first step is at block 168 wherea check is made to determine whether access to ADM server 22 is needed.Access may be needed to report computer usage information or to downloadnew banner advertising, for example. If no access is currently needed,flow moves to block 170 where a check is made to determine if there isany user input to the computer. If not, flow moves to block 172 where acheck is made to determine whether the timer operated by timer/displaycomponent 110 has expired. If not, no action is taken and flow returnsto block 170 to again check for user interaction with the computer. Ifthe timer has expired, flow moves to block 174 for selection and displayof a suitable banner. If, at block 170 user input was detected, flowmoves to block 176 where the user input is processed. Flow also moves toblock 178 where a check is made to determine whether the userinteraction constitutes a key event. If not, flow returns to block 168and the process repeats. If a key event is detected, then flow moves toblock 174 where the key event is processed.

If, at block 168 it was determined that access to ADM server 22 isneeded, flow moves to block 180 where a check is made to determinewhether an Internet connection is available to the client computer. Ifno connection is available, the server cannot be accessed at this timeand flow therefore moves to block 170. If an Internet connection isavailable, flow moves to block 182 where the current computer usageinformation is reported to ADM server 22. Then, if necessary, the clientsoftware application downloads new banners, as indicated at block 184.Flow then moves to block 186 where the new banner flag is reset alongwith any flags used in reporting of computer usage information. At block188 a check is then made to determine whether any of the components ofsoftware application 10 need to be upgraded. If not, flow moves to block170 to look for user interaction. If a newer version of one or morecomponents is available, flow moves to block 190 where the builderroutine is executed.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the processing of user input represented byblock 176 of

FIG. 10 will now be described. This processing begins at block 192 wherea check is made to determine whether a user has selected a banner by,for example, a mouse click on the banner itself. If so, flow moves toblock 194 where the URL associated with the selected banner is accessedand the user's default browser used to access the site specified by thatURL. This process then ends with the flow returning to block 168 of FIG.10. If at block 192, a banner has not been selected, flow drops down toblock 196 where it is determined whether a shortcut or application hasbeen selected. This includes any of the application icons 76 on theapplication's graphical user interface itself or a shortcut orapplication selected from the Windows™ desktop. If so, flow moves toblock 198 where the priority is set to medium following which flow movesto block 200 where the shortcut or application is executed or otherwiseprocessed in accordance with the normal operation of the operatingsystem. If at block 196 it was determined that no shortcut orapplication was selected, then flow moves to block 202 where a check ismade to determine whether one of the bookmark category icons 80 wasselected. If so, flow moves to block 204 where the priority is set tomedium, following which flow moves to block 206 where a secondapplication window is opened displaying the links associated with theselected category. If at block 202 no category was selected, then flowmoves to block 208 where a check is made to determine whether a specificbookmark or link was selected by the user. If so, flow moves to block210 where the priority is set to high, following which the defaultbrowser is run and the web page specified by the selected link isaccessed. If at block 208 no link was selected by the user, flow dropsdown to block 214 where a check is made to determine whether the userhas entered a URL or other web page address into URL text field 74. Ifso, flow moves to block 216 where the priority is again set to highfollowing which the default browser is opened and the specified link isaccessed, as indicated at block 218. If at block 214 no URL wasinputted, then no further action is taken by client software application10.

Turning now to FIG. 12, the processing of key events represented byblock 174 of FIG. 10 will now be described. As indicated at block 220,the first step is to determine the current priority level which, asdiscussed in connection with FIG. 11 may have been set from the defaultgeneral priority level to either medium or high. Flow then moves toblock 222 where, in the case of the priority being either medium orhigh, the selected category of information (finance, news, sports, etc.)is determined so that only those banners associated with that categorycan be selected as candidates for display. Then, at block 224, using thedetermined category a particular banner is selected and displayed in thebanner region 78. As previously discussed, in addition to an associatedcategory, the banners can also be selected based on associated linksand/or programs in the event, for example, that the user accesses a website that is listed in the banner database 130. Flow then moves to block226 where a record is made of the occurrence of the event, the displayof the banner, and the time that the event occurred. This computer usageinformation can now be reported back to ADM server 22 or a reportingflag can be set so that this information can be reported back the nexttime that the server is accessible. Flow then moves to block 228 wherethe banner count associated with the displayed banner is incremented byone. Then, at block 230, a check is made to determine whether thecurrent group of banners has expired, based on their banner counts. Ifnot, the key event processing is finished and flow then returns to block168 of FIG. 10. If the banners have expired, then flow moves to block232 where the next available set of locally stored banners is utilizedfor display purposes and the flag alert component 112 is notified sothat it can set the new banner flag, as indicated at block 234.Processing then returns to block 168 of FIG. 10. Thus, the presentinvention provides a manner or method for actually displaying banners tousers after installation of the client software application.

Alternatively, other algorithms can be applied so as to determine theparticular timing of display of banner advertisements. One algorithmthat can be used for determining banner display, as well as timing andduration of display involves selection of an eligible set of bannersfrom a total set of banners available for installation, based on certaincriteria. Such criteria include, for example, whether the banner isdirected to the currently logged-in user of the client applicationsoftware; whether the banner has been presented to the currentlylogged-in user fewer times than the banner is allowed to be displayed tothe user; whether the banner has been presented less frequently than themaximum frequency that the banner is allowed to be displayed to thatuser; whether the date of consideration of the banner has passed; andwhether the date that the banner will be considered out of date is inthe future. Other representative criteria include the priority value(e.g., high, medium or low) assigned to a particular banner for eachuser; and such criteria can be used to allocate time to that banner incompetition with other banners. For example, a set of eligible bannersassigned with a priority of “high” can be displayed in rotation; a setof eligible banners assigned a priority of “medium” can be displayed inrotation; and a set of eligible banners assigned a priority of “low” canbe displayed in rotation; and then the banners can be displayed in asequence by selecting a banner from each priority value in a time-wisesequence such as three high value banners in succession, followed by onemedium value banner, followed by three high value banners in succession,followed by one medium value banner, three high value banners insuccession, followed by one low value banner, followed by repeat of sucha sequencing formula. In such a sequencing method, if a banner of aparticular priority level is unavailable, it preferably is omitted fromthat sequence. However, upon the event of the occurrence of a specificstimulus, such as user action or a periodic expiration of a previousbanner, the display of a new banner occurs within the aforementionedsequence; and that sequence can continue in its normal fashion after thecompletion of the period of insertion of that new banner into thesequence.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a first implementation of the builder routine190 of FIG. 10 will now be described. The process begins at block 236where the builder component 64 accesses version numbers for eachcomponent in the client software application. Flow then moves to block238 where, using this information, builder component 64 generates acurrent blueprint. Then, at block 240, the builder component accesses anupdated blueprint from ADM server 22. At block 242, a check is made todetermine whether the updated blueprint is the same as the currentblueprint. If so, the client computer has the upgraded version and noupgrading is necessary, as indicated at block 244. Flow then returns toblock 168 of FIG. 10. If, at block 242, the updated blueprint isdifferent from the current blueprint, flow moves to block 246 where thebuilder module determines which components are new or need upgrading.Flow then moves to block 248 where a check is made to determine whetherthe builder module itself needs to be upgraded. If not, flow moves toblock 250 where the new or upgraded components are downloaded fromserver 22 and installed. If an upgraded builder module is needed, thenflow moves from block 248 to block 252 where control is passed from thebuilder module to auxiliary module 66, following which flow moves toblock 254 where execution of the builder module is terminated so that itmay be overwritten with the new builder module. Flow then continues toblock 250 where the builder module and other upgraded components aredownloaded and installed under control of auxiliary module 66. Flow thenreturns to block 168 of FIG. 10.

Referring now to FIG. 14, another embodiment of builder routine 190 ofFIG. 10 will now be described. In this embodiment, the builder moduledoes not determine the current names and version numbers of all themodules that make up client software application 10, but rather uses aversion ID associated with the application to determine whetherupgrading of any of the components is necessary. The process starts atblock 256 where the builder module accesses an updated blueprint ID fromADM server 22. Then, at block 258, a check is made to determine whetherthe updated ID is the same as the current version ID. If so, then noupgrading of components is necessary as indicated at block 260 and flowreturns to block 168 of FIG. 10. If the ID's are not the same, flowmoves to block 262 where the builder module sends the current version IDback to ADM server 22. This current ID is used by ADM server 22 todetermine which components need to be downloaded and installed at theclient computer so that it has the most recent version. Then, at block264, the builder module downloads and installs the updated components,following which the process returns to block 168 of FIG. 10. As with theprocess of FIG. 13, auxiliary module 66 can be used in the event ofupgrading of builder module 64 itself. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, once the new components have been downloaded andinstalled, whether by the process of FIG. 13 or FIG. 14, restarting ofthe computer may be necessary. In addition, the server can contain, orhave access to, software files that have been prepared by third partysoftware developers for distribution. Such files can be downloaded uponrequest by a particular user. Thus, in a like manner that has beendescribed, third party software developers/distributors are providedwith a distribution tool to distribute, upgrade, service and maintaintheir software.

Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown an overview of a computer system300 including a client software application 10 and a server 22. Theserver includes a database services system 330 that comprises severalother program modules 335. The database services system 330 possessesthose capabilities required to support the database requirements of theother components and modules, as well as the activities of personnelperforming database administration functions. The program modules 335include a client and user registration module 338, a user servicesmodule 340, and advertiser services module 342, and accounting servicesmodule 344 and a management services module 346. Working together, theprogram modules 335 act as a single software application that providesthe computer user with a fully integrated interface to client software350 (e.g., software applications) on the user's computer 18, as well asto information resources located on a network 20, such as the Internet.Those program modules 335 also can provide file management capabilities.Preferably, the client software 350 is connected to the client and userregistration module 338 and user services module 340 via network 20;while Internet browser software 362 can be connected to the advertisingservices module via network 20. Preferably, the accounting servicesmodule 344 and the management services module 346 are connected to amanagement terminal 370, which most preferably is located on a separatecomputer 348 and most preferably is not located on network 346. Theclient software application 10 may also include other executables,support files, and libraries that are used by program modules 335.

The client and user registration module 338 provides the capabilitiesrequired to establish a new user or to establish an existing user whohas moved to a different computer. The user services module 340 providesthe capabilities required to interact with the components of the clientsoftware of the user's computer in order to implement and manage thefeatures and benefits realized at the user's computer. The user servicesmodule 340 provides for recordation of usage information, delivery oftargeted advertising material to users, support of network bookmarks forthe user, and applications support for the user. The advertiser servicesmodule 342 provides those capabilities required to deliver servicesrequired in support of advertisers employing the system for the purposeof delivering advertising to users. The advertiser services module 342provides for capture and maintenance of advertiser registrationinformation, management of advertiser account status, receipt ofadvertising material, presentation of user demographic data, andmanagement of targeting advertising designations. Module 342 canacquire, from the server, files (e.g., in gif format) containingadvertising banners; those files can be transferred using ftp protocol;and controlling data and information can be obtained with each file inorder that direction regarding presentation of the banner advertising isprovided. The accounting services module 344 provides those capabilitiesrequired to support personnel performing business functions associatedwith advertiser account management, account and payment status, billingand invoicing activities, review of advertising banners that areproffered, and other business, financial and accounting functions. Themanagement services module 346 provides those capabilities required forpersonnel performing system administration functions associated with theongoing management, maintenance, operation, monitoring and upgrading ofthe system.

The client and user registration module 338 maintains a list of usersregistered to use a particular installation of the relevant software,and transfers updates to the list to the server 22, and it is possiblethat a user can possess more than one installation. One user of theinstallation is recognized as the owning user of the installation. Atany time that the application is active, it will have identified acurrent user from the list of users registered for that installation. Assuch, the module thus invokes the user profile of the particular,current user. When the application is used on a computer using anoperating system such as Windows NT, or any other operating systemenvironment that enforces rigorous access controls, it can use the useridentity derived from the Windows NT log-in procedures. For example, theapplication can match the Windows NT log-in identity against a table ofusers registered for that machine, and can invoke the user profile ofthe user who has previously worked under that Windows NT identity. Inaddition, the application can use the Windows NT user profile facilityto derive correspondence between Windows NT users and users of theapplication. When the application is used on a computer using anoperating system such as Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows 3.1, or anyother operating system environment that lacks rigorous access controls,the application can prompt the user for the user identity and password.For example, the application can maintain a listing of users registeredfor a particular computer, and can invoke the user profile of anindividual user so identified. Optionally, an individual user of anapplication installation can turn off the user identificationcapabilities, and in that case the user profile of that user can alwaysbe invoked without prompting.

The account services module 344 possesses the capability to calculatemonetary charges for advertising services provided. It is able togenerate invoices, statements of account, and other standard accountingdocuments for billing advertisers for the services provided. It allowsaccounts receivable information to be transferred into a standardaccounting package. The module 344 capability is constructed to provideconsiderable flexibility in the tariff calculations used to generatebilling. Thus, charges can be calculated from the numbers of bannersspecified, the numbers of users selected to receive the banners, thetime periods for which the banners will be in service, the numbers oftimes each banner is planned to be exposed, the priority of bannerpresentation, and other features selected by the advertiser. This tariffmodel reflects a static, a priori approach, and the bill, in principle,can be determined at the time when the advertiser selects the services,and the advertiser can be accurately informed immediately of the chargesaccrued, even before a single banner is displayed. In addition, chargescan be calculated from the actual numbers of banners displayed, thenumber of times each banner is displayed, the duration of each display,the priority of banner presentation, and other features actually invokedby users. This tariff model reflects a dynamic, a posteriori approach,and the bill is not determined until after banners have been displayedto users, and the advertiser is provided with an estimate of the chargesthat might be accrued until after all banners have gone out of service.

The accounting services module 344 capability provides an accountmanager with capabilities to control the use of services by anadvertiser. It allows the activities of an advertiser to be suspended;banners and data belonging to the suspended advertiser can be held untilexplicitly discarded by the account manager. All of the resourcesbelonging to an advertiser can be discarded or archived by specifyingthe advertiser. Archived material may be retrievable by specifying theadvertiser and date and time of archive. The account manager is able toset a credit limit for an advertiser; banner display activity on behalfof that advertiser and can be suspended when current charges foradvertising services exceed the credit limit. The mechanism is able toaccommodate both positive and negative credit limits and current accountbalances; in all cases advertising activity can be suspended if currentactivity will result in a current account balance that exceeded thecredit limit. The server provides an account manager with capabilitiesfor communication with advertisers about their credit status and othersubjects. Communications media includes paper letters, electronic mail,document facsimile, and telephone.

A new advertiser can connect to the vendor's advertising URL forregistration and authentication. For example, a potential or prospectiveadvertiser can provide information such as company name, contact person,address information, product information, and the like. The advertiserthen can be provided with authentication material for reestablishingidentification in future sessions. For example, the vendor can providesuitable authentication mechanisms, such as passwords or X.509certificates. The advertiser can be provided with mechanisms toestablish credit status; and the advertiser can make payment to thevendor by credit card, or other means for providing a securetransaction. Mechanisms, such as the use of virtual private network(VPN) technology, preferably are employed in order to ensure thatunauthorized personnel do not receive access to the advertiser's sitewithout proper identification and authentication.

In addition, the advertiser services module 344 is able to specify fieldnames and values to specify reporting and control criteria for all ofthe data reflecting the demographics, computer usage, and bannerdelivery for users. Furthermore, the software captures data about eachpresentation of a banner to a user at the product. It captures the userto whom the banner is presented. It captures the time and date that thebanner is displayed; it captures the duration of display.

Upon proper initial installation of the client software, an Internetconnection to the server shall be attempted. If that attempt is notsuccessful, further installation will be attempted. Once connected, theclient software declares itself to the server as a new installation. Theserver then responds with a unique installation identifier that shall beused for subsequent identification of the client software in allinteractions between that software and the server. The client softwarecan provide certain information to the server. For example, the servercan be notified as to the version of each component of the clientsoftware that has been installed into that computer, details of thehardware environment of the computer (e.g., processor speed, memorysize, disk size and free space, and speed of communicationsconnections), and details of the software environment of the computer(e.g., operating system and applications packages). The server candetermine whether the client software is out of date, and transferupgrades of those components to the computer. The client software canensure that the upgraded components are installed in the correctlocation in the computer directory. Optionally, the server can determinewith certain other software within the computer is out of date orimproperly installed. The server can deliver relevant updated softwareto the computer; and the client software can ensure that the upgradedsoftware is properly installed in the correct location in the computerdirectory.

Client and user registration can be implemented as a client-serverapplication with matching components of the particular user.Registration allows for identification and maintenance of the specificinstallation by the computer from which the user is working Registrationalso identifies and captures data about the user reflecting informationincluding user identity, computing environment and usage, and userdemographic profile. In addition, registration can manage therelationships between installations and users; recognizing that a usermay use more than one installation and an installation may support morethan one user.

Each time the client software is started, it identifies the user runningit as well as the computer. It also will attempt to establish anInternet connection to the server. The registration provides for fourscenarios. Those scenarios include new user on a new computer, new useron a registered computer, existing user on a new computer, or existinguser on an existing computer.

A new (or previously unknown) user using a previously unregisteredcomputer can register. The server receives data from that user in orderto obtain information such as user identity, demographic information, abaseline on the user's computer usage, and the like. The server storesthat information as a user profile. Thus, it is possible to register thefirst new user as a preliminary, principal or owning user of thatinstallation; and subsequent users of that installation can be recordedas guest users of that installation. Whenever subsequent installationsof the software are run, the user will attempt to establish an Internetconnection to the server. The server can identify the user by validatingthe user's identification, such as a password, that is provided duringthe initial connection by that user. The vendor can supply an effectiveauthentication mechanism to ensure the proper identity of the user.

A new (or previously unknown or unregistered) user using an previouslyregistered computer can register. The server receives data from thatuser in order to obtain information such as user identity, demographicinformation, a baseline on the user's computer usage, and the like. Theserver then stores that information as a user profile. Thus, thatsubsequent user of that installation can be recorded as a guest user ofthat installation.

A previously registered user using a new (or previously unregistered)computer can register. A user providing information shall be grantedaccess to the server, and the server shall retrieve all of the userprofile data from the server. Optionally, the user can provideinformation to provide an updated profile, which then is stored by theserver. Typically, the first user to register on a computer shall bedesignated as the first user; and subsequent users of that installationcan be recorded s guest users of that installation. Such an aspect ofthe present invention is particularly preferred, because a previous usercan access personal information from any computer having network access,such as Internet access. In certain circumstances, the initial user canbe a parent of a family, a corporation, or the management of anorganization, and as such, the initial user can remove guest users fromthe system. In the event that a user does not expect to use a particularcomputer again (e.g., such as a computer located in a courtesy businessarea at an airport), the user can have the option to register as atemporary user, providing of profile information is optional, and nopersonal profile is maintained on the server for that user.

A previously registered user using a previously registered computershall be granted access to the server, and the server shall retrieve allof the user profile data from the server. The manner or method forproviding access to such a user is described in detail above.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention allows for thepossibility of communication through a network using a wide variety ofcomputers, irrespective of the location of the user. As such, it ispossible for a user to communicate with a user through computer devicessuch as cellular telephones, walkmans, kiosks, personal digitalassistants, refrigerator door screens, airplane set screens, car radios,televisions, video recorders, answering machines, and the like.

Preferably, the client software is designed so that it can remain incontinuous operation on any computer for an extended period of time,without interruption or failure. It is also preferably designed so thatit requires relatively low use of the memory of a user's computer. Whenwritten in a platform-independent language, such as Java™, the clientsoftware is highly portable. That is, the software can be operated fromdifferent computers; and from different operating systems (e.g.,Windows, Solaris, Unix, Linux and MacIntosh). In addition, the clientsoftware operates in such a manner that it does not compromise thereliability of other applications or of the computer operating system,and does not compromise a user's ability to use or download informationfrom a network, such as the Internet. The client software is relativelyeasy to maintain, and effort is required to detect and correct anyfaults within that software. In addition, the modular style of thesoftware allows for efficient and effective improvements, enhancementsand other upgrades to that software without wholesale revision of largesegments of code. In the event that changes in either computer hardwareor software occur, the client software can notify the server. The serverthen can record that information in its database.

The present invention provides numerous advantages to advertisersadvertising over networks. The advertiser services capabilities of thesystem allows capture of information provided by an advertiser tocontrol delivery and presentation of banner advertisements to selectedsystem users. For example, users can be selected to receive a particularmessage based on selection of statistical groups of users (however, itis possible to provide a system such that individual users are notidentified, recognized or selected). The selection criteria typicallyutilizes demographic and computer usage data captured from users of thesystem. For example, for each banner, an advertiser can specify one ormore of the following: statistical criteria that selects groups of usersto which the banner will be displayed, how many times the banner isdisplayed to a group, the maximum frequency that the banner is displayedto each group (e.g., advertisement rotation rate), the dates and timesthat the banner is in service for display, the priority value assignedto the banner for users in each group, and user reactions to the banner(including connection to a web site from a banner). Thus, advertisersare able to examine, in virtually real time, statistical informationderived from demographic information and computer usage data capturedfrom users. In addition, advertisers are able to examine, in virtuallyreal time, the effectiveness of particular banner advertisements, asdetermined for example, from user demographic information, interactionwith web sites, etc. Besides selection of user and banner advertising,out of date advertisements can be discarded. Further, management,control and sequencing of advertisements by the advertiser can becontrolled.

The present invention can be used in a variety of applications and for awide variety of uses. The present invention can be used to downloadelectronic copies of published printed materials (e.g., books,magazines, catalogs, newspapers) from a network or from a non-volatilestorage device, and the contents of those books can be stored in anelectronic library. Thus, the present invention can be used toelectronically distribute published printed materials, and informationconcerning readership of those materials can be collected. In addition,the electronic copy of the printed materials can be maintained by theclient in the user's library. The user library can be used to storesoftware, business presentations, blueprints, plans, movies, musicalalbums, games, and the like. Thus, a user can store a computer game, andaccess that game from another computer. For example, a user can storedigital images in an electronic library, thereby providing an electronicalbum. Digital pictures, in the form of electronic images, can be mailedelectronically from any location to service providers that print hardproofs; and thus, for example, vacation pictures can be mailed from onvacation site, and potentially received by time user arrives home.Furthermore, advertising materials, such as those advertising materialscontained in newspapers, catalogs and magazines, can be used by theclient in order to gain immediate access to an advertiser's web site.The present invention can be used in a wide variety of other commercialapplications. For example, banking, bill payment, credit cardtransactions and processing, customer service, wiring of money, billpayment, travel arrangements and reservations can be carried out.

In this regard, the client software application can work in conjunctionwith suitable server software to provide a virtual pre-paid cash card.This virtual card can be ordered and paid for by the user via a webinterface on the server. The card can be represented by a filecontaining various information, including a card number, card value, andother useful information, including user-specific information (homeaddress, email address, telephone number) as well as demographicinformation. Once purchased, the card can be sent to the user or placedin his or her user profile. Then, when the user wishes to purchase anitem at another web site or via another electronic medium that supportsthe virtual card, the user can direct that the purchase be made usingthe virtual card. This can be done by, for example, clicking an icon orhypertext link on the web site where the purchase is being made, withthe software at that site then contacting the server containing the userprofile to obtain the virtual card and deduct the price from the card.

The software can also be used to manage an electronic business card filethat can be accessed, updated and categorized; and as such, access to anelectronic Rolodex containing electronic format cards, includingelectronic business cards, and other identification and addressinformation, can allow the user to access the web site of the personsupplying the business card. Thus, the present invention allows users tosend and receive business card information straight from and to cardfiles, without opening electronic mail messages (e.g., upon receipt ofsuch type of information by the computer, the user can click “yes” tosave such information to a card file, without opening that message). Thebusiness card file can be stored on the server in the user library. Ifthe server is accessible over the Internet this arrangement permitsworld-wide user access to the business card file and the contactinformation contained therein, thus allowing the user to access thisinformation even if he or she is traveling.

The present invention also provides the user with an efficient andeffective way to shop on line; by creating a kind of global electronicshopping cart which can be used to electronically accumulate items forpurchase from any of a number of different sellers and distributors. Theshopping cart can be implemented as one or more files stored on theserver as a part of the user library and the client software applicationcan be configured to manage the information stored in the shopping cart.Then, for example, when a user browsing on the Internet or other networkdecides that they wish to purchase a product, suitable purchasinginformation can be added to the shopping cart. This action can becarried out by selection of an appropriate icon or menu command on thesoftware client application's graphical user interface. Optionally, theicon could be located on a web site itself or the menu command could beadded to a menu that is accessible using a mouse, such as by activationof the right button on the mouse. The product information, includingpricing and the necessary purchasing information can be made availableby the web site to the client software application. Also, the URL of thesite containing the product information can be stored in the shoppingcart to enable the user to easily return to the site at a later time toreview product information. For electronic product information availablefrom other sources, such as set-top television box, the user can selectitems shown in a television program, television advertisement, or othertype of visual advertisement, with an associated URL or otherinformation then being added to the shopping cart. The information addedto the shopping cart can be broadcasted along with the televisionprogram and then saved in the shopping cart when selected by the user.The user can then review the contents of the shopping cart at a latertime, adding and removing items from the cart as desired, reviewing thetotal purchase price and taxes calculated and displayed by the software,and then making a final purchase. The user profile can include creditcard, mailing address, and other such information to enable the purchaseof products in the shopping cart without the user having to enter theinformation each time a purchase is made. As will be appreciated, thispermits the user to add items to the cart from different sellers ordistributors and without having to make a final purchase decision atthat time and without having to attend to actually purchasing the itemsuntil a later time when the contents of the entire cart can be examined.

As another example, a user hearing information of interest over a radiohaving the software installed thereon can press a button on that radio,with the radio then recording the appropriate information that issilently broadcasted along with the audio. The software then accessesthe user's profile and library via a network and then adds theappropriate information to the electronic shopping cart. As yet anotherexample, a user seeing information of interest in a print advertisementcan scan that information into a computer, the scanner can digitallyrecord that information and convert it to searchable text using anoptical character recognition program, with the client softwareapplication being configured to then locate a URL or other productinformation from the recognized text, access the user's profile andlibrary via network access, and then add the appropriate information tothe electronic shopping cart.

Advertisers can provide information in conjunction with advertisements.For example, advertisers can provide advertising information as well asa ticker containing information regarding sports, business, news,weather, traffic, or the like. The system also is useful for companies,organizations, charitable and non-profit groups, associations, families,and the like. For example, the system can be used by organizationsincluding religious, educational, fraternal, alumni and professionalorganizations. As such, the present invention can be used as acommunication tool by a corporation or organization, and members of thecorporation or organization with access to a computer and a network canefficiently and effectively access currently updated information. Thesystem can also be used for communication between organizations andindividuals. For example, patient monitoring, check ups, prescriptions,and the like, can be communicated. In addition, advertisers can provideinteractive advertisements; providing for electronic commerce and wellas focus group type feed back. Furthermore, advertising can be used bynon-profit and charitable organizations for fund raising and publicawareness purposes. Thus, advertisements can be information provided fora commercial nature, or advertising can be considered informationsupplied by a group or organization to the user's of that group aremembers.

It will thus be apparent that there has been provided in accordance withthe present invention a method and apparatus for providing anautomatically upgradeable graphical user interface with targetedadvertising and with information maintenance, organization andcommunication capabilities which achieve the aims and advantagesspecified herein. It will of course be understood that the foregoingdescription is of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention andthat the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown.Various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilledin the art. For example, although the advertising features describedherein have been disclosed in connection with client softwareapplication 10, it will be appreciated that these features can beincorporated into any of a number of other types of softwareapplications and can even be incorporated into the operating system'suser interface itself. Other features of client software application 10can be incorporated into and made an integral part of other softwareapplications and operating systems. Also, rather than downloading theclient software application via the Internet or some other network, itcould be installed on the user's computer from a CDROM or DVD, with thenew user login process of FIG. 9 being used to acquire demographic dataon all users of the software. All such variations and modifications areintended to come within the scope of the appended claims.

1. Apparatus for use in providing a user of a computer with access toinformation resources via a digital network protocol, the apparatuscomprising: a data storage device; a first program module stored on thedata storage device in a computer-readable format; said first programmodule being operable upon execution by the computer to cause thedisplay of a graphical user interface comprising a window separated intoa number of regions; a first one of said regions including a number ofuser-selectable items, one or more of which are each associated with adifferent data set, said data set(s) each representative of a differentcategory of information and each of said data set(s) comprising a numberof user-selectable links to different information resources; a secondone of said regions comprising an information display region; a secondprogram module operable upon execution to request informational data tobe displayed in said information display region; wherein said firstprogram module is operable in response to user input to use a digitalnetwork protocol and retrieve an associated information resource usingthe digital network protocol, said first program module further beingoperable in response to the user input to notify said second programmodule of the user input, whereby said informational data is displayedin said second region of the graphical user interface of said firstprogram module; and wherein said second program module is operable inresponse to notifications from said first program module to request theinformational data to be displayed from among a larger amount of saidinformational data, said second program module further being operable tostore statistical data regarding the display of said requestedinformational data.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein thedigital network protocol is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP),Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), or both. 3.Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the user input furthercomprises one or more keywords received at the computer from the user.4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the user input furthercomprises user selection of one of the links.
 5. Apparatus as defined inclaim 1, wherein the second program module is stored on the data storagedevice in computer readable form for execution by the computer. 6.Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the first program modulefurther comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) and the secondprogram module further comprises an advertising and data management(ADM) module.
 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the datastorage device includes an update program module containing programmingused to update one or both of the first and second program modules. 8.Apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the update program modulecomprises a third program module separate from the first and secondprogram modules.
 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the datastorage device includes an update program module containing programmingused to update third party software stored on the data storage device.10. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the data storage deviceincludes a program module that enables distribution of third partysoftware to the computer.
 11. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, whereinone of the program modules stored on said data storage device isoperable upon execution to cause user financial information to besecurely stored within a user profile and to enable the user to initiatea commercial transaction involving the transfer of the financialinformation between computers.
 12. Apparatus as defined in claim 1,wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device isoperable upon execution to locate a URL or product information withinrecognized text obtained from a scanned document via an opticalcharacter recognition program.
 13. Apparatus as defined in claim 1,wherein one of the program modules stored on said data storage device isoperable upon execution to download electronic copies of publishedmaterials from a network or a non-volatile storage device.
 14. Apparatusas defined in claim 1, wherein one of the program modules stored on saiddata storage device is operable upon execution to work in conjunctionwith suitable server software to provide a virtual pre-paid cash cardfor use by the user.
 15. A method of providing a user of a computer thatuses the apparatus of claim 1 with access to information resources via adigital network protocol, comprising the steps of: (a) obtainingadvertiser registration information; (b) receiving advertising materialassociated with the advertiser; (c) obtaining from the advertiserinformation used in combination with user demographic data to providereactive targeting of the advertising material to one or more users overone or more networks; (d) sending the advertising material to thecomputer over the one or more networks for purposes of presentation tothe user as informational data selected by the second program module;(e) providing information to the advertiser concerning the sentadvertising material; and (f) carrying out a financial transaction withthe advertiser related to the sent advertising material.
 16. The methodof claim 15, wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving fromthe advertiser one or more criteria used in selecting advertisingmaterial to be presented to the users.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein step (c) further comprises providing a keyword that isassociated with the advertising material and is used to provide reactivetargeting of the advertising material to one or more users.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the computer comprises a portable phone andwherein step (d) further comprises sending advertising materialwirelessly to the portable phone over the one or more networks.
 19. Amethod of providing a user of a computer that uses the apparatus ofclaim 1 with access to information resources via a digital networkprotocol, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving user demographicinformation at an advertising and data management (ADM) server, whereinthe user demographic information is received from the computer using adigital network protocol; (b) storing advertisements associated withadvertisers on the ADM server; (c) sending at least some of theadvertisements to the computer using a digital network protocol; (d)receiving user input entered at the computer via the first programmodule; (e) selecting one of the advertisements based on the userdemographic information, the user input, or both; and (f) displaying theselected advertisement in the second region of the graphical userinterface.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein step (e) furthercomprises selecting the one or more advertisements using the secondprogram module.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein step (e) furthercomprises selecting the one or more advertisements at the computer usingthe second program module.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein steps (d)and (e) are carried out at a server remote from the computer and whereinstep (c) further comprises sending the selected advertisement to thecomputer after step (e).
 23. Apparatus for providing a user of theapparatus with access to information resources via a digital networkprotocol, the apparatus comprising: a computer having a processingdevice, display, and a data storage device storing program modulesincluding first and second program modules; said first program modulepresenting, on said display upon execution by said processing device, agraphical user interface (GUI) having a number of regions on saiddisplay including a first region containing a number of user-selectableitems and a second region comprising an information display region; saidsecond program module, upon execution by said processing device, beingoperable to obtain informational data at said computer, saidinformational data being received at said computer via a wirelesscommunication path using a digital network protocol; wherein, said firstprogram module is operable to access an information resource, theinformation resource being presented on the display and theinformational data being presented on the display in the informationdisplay region of the graphical user interface.
 24. Apparatus as definedin claim 23, wherein said first program module is operable to access theinformation resource in response to user selection of one of theuser-selectable items.
 25. Apparatus as defined in claim 23, whereinsaid data storage device is a non-volatile data storage device. 26.Apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein said first program module isoperable to access the information resource over the wirelesscommunication path.
 27. Apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein thecomputer comprises a portable phone.
 28. Apparatus as defined in claim27, wherein said first and second program modules together comprise anapplication stored on said phone.
 29. Apparatus as defined in claim 27,wherein the data storage device includes an update program modulecontaining programming used to update third party software stored on thedata storage device.
 30. Apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein oneof the program modules stored on said data storage device is operableupon execution to download electronic copies of printed materials from anetwork or a non-volatile storage device.